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    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul: Humorous and Inspirational Stories to Celebrate the Many Roles of Working Women
    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul: Humorous and Inspirational Stories to Celebrate the Many Roles of Working Women
    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul: Humorous and Inspirational Stories to Celebrate the Many Roles of Working Women
    Ebook387 pages4 hours

    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul: Humorous and Inspirational Stories to Celebrate the Many Roles of Working Women

    By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

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    About this ebook

    Whether she is a corporate executive or a factory worker, an entrepreneur or a "mompreneur," today's woman is an integral part of the workforce and the American Dream.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChicken Soup for the Soul
    Release dateSep 25, 2012
    ISBN9781453279380
    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul: Humorous and Inspirational Stories to Celebrate the Many Roles of Working Women
    Author

    Jack Canfield

    Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is the cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, which includes forty New York Times bestsellers, and coauthor with Gay Hendricks of You've GOT to Read This Book! An internationally renowned corporate trainer, Jack has trained and certified over 4,100 people to teach the Success Principles in 115 countries. He is also a podcast host, keynote speaker, and popular radio and TV talk show guest. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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    • 3/5
      This series of short stories is fun and easy-to-read; a bit of a no brainer but a good pick-up on those days when you're feeling blue.

    Book preview

    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul - Jack Canfield

    What People Are Saying About

    Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul . . .

    "A bit of sunshine on a hectic day lifts the spirit. Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul is the essence of sunshine—great stories to lift one’s spirits."

    Kay Koplovitz

    founder, USA Networks

    principal, Koplovitz & Company

    author and entrepreneur

    These moving stories from working women remind us that we’re not alone in the challenges we face, and they inspire us with their accounts of persistence, success and faith.

    Dionne Fedderson and Sylvia Hopkins

    vice presidents, Childhelp USA

    "Which hat are you wearing right now? Working woman, mother, wife, girlfriend or the little girl inside you? Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul reflects this incredibly wide range of our lives and challenges us as women with wit, wisdom, determination and compassion. These stories confirm that our lives are always full of infinite possibilities."

    Sharon Lechter

    coauthor, Rich Dad Poor Dad and the Rich Dad series

    "There are wonderful, heartwarming messages in the touching stories within Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul. They zero in on the juggling required today as women meet their challenges with skill, wit, care and wisdom. This book truly hits on the things that matter most in life!"

    Sharon Dupont-McCord

    real estate broker, Coldwell Banker Success Realty

    "Wow, I can relate! All of us working women struggle to find that delicate balance between our personal and professional lives. Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul gives us comfort that we are not alone and that the bumpy road we travel is paved with love, laughter and inspiration."

    Robin Sewell

    television personality

    Wonderful! These stories go straight to the heart of what it means to be a working woman today. They uplift, surprise, and nourish—and leave a warm glow in the heart that helps us to find and savor the special moments in our own lives.

    Michelle Kerrick

    partner, Deloitte & Touche

    "With all the demands of work and family, it’s never been more challenging to be a woman. Chicken Soup for the WorkingWoman’s Soul is an inspiring guide, counselor and coach—and offers liberal doses of laughter and joy, too. It’s a must-read for women everywhere."

    Jan Donnelly

    cofounder & CEO, CareerWomen.com

    "The inspiring tales in Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul remind us of the common bonds we share as working women in shaping the destinies of our children, our friends and our colleagues."

    Melissa Wahl

    executive director, National Association

    for Female Executives

    "Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul holds up a mirror that shows us what we already know in our hearts: seek the good, spread love, make a difference, and never, never give up on our dreams!"

    Stephanie B. Greer vice president, private client manager Wells Fargo Investments

    These motivating and emotional stories remind us of the importance of finding that delicate balance between our professional and personal lives.

    Tricia J. Callaway

    marketing program manager, Hewlett-Packard

    CHICKEN SOUP

    FOR THE

    WORKING

    WOMAN’S SOUL

    Humorous and Inspirational

    Stories to Celebrate the Many

    Roles of Working Women

    Jack Canfield

    Mark Victor Hansen

    Patty Aubery

    Chrissy and Mark Donnelly

    Backlist, LLC, a unit of

    Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

    Cos Cob, CT

    www.chickensoup.com

    We dedicate this book to all women

    for their ability to juggle life

    and work with such grace.

    Contents

    Introduction

    1. ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

    The Interview Nicole Jenkins as told to Michele Screech Campanelli

    Ask and You Shall Receive Jane Imber

    Love and War lizabeth Rand

    The Commanding Secretary Russel M. Perman

    Getting Away Kimberly A. Porrazzo

    Career Day Mary Dixon Lebeau

    The Birthday Tiara Deborah M. Ritz

    Not Just Another Rat Ava Pennington

    Trooper Laura Kidder

    The Lady Behind the Slinky Jeanne Marie Laskas

    A Speedy Job Evelyn L. Lesch

    The Real Lesson Ruth Reis Jarvis, M.A., C.C.C.

    The Red Purse Louise Moeri

    2. BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY

    Getting My Priorities Straight Sybella V. Ferguson Patten

    Just a Few More Minutes Sara Henderson

    A Working Mother’s Prayer Cheryl M. Kremer

    This Is the Best Day of My Life Dian Tune Lopez

    Two of a Kind Paula Ferrato

    What Goes Around, Comes Around Linda Tuccio-Koonz

    Notes Left by Two Working Parents Ken Swarner

    A Child’s Playground Tony Gilbert

    Safe Andrea Durham

    Household Chores Teresa Pitman

    The Girl Inside the Woman Peyton Budinger

    First in Her Heart Doris Iarovici, M.D.

    A Hug for Your Thoughts Brenda Nixon

    Trouble Brewing Cynthia Briche

    Mom’s Special Day Connie Hill

    Kiss Katherine Pepin

    My Two-Piece Suit Elizabeth Neri Schorr

    Vacuum Cleaner Marks—Tracks to a Mother’s Heart Julia Rosien

    Picture-Perfect Bologna Diane M. Vanover

    Ceiling Fans Marie Jones

    The Best Days of Our Lives Colleen Hartry

    3. TEAMWORK

    Strangers No More Delores Christian Liesner

    Leaving My Ego at the Door Patricia Dillon Sobczak

    The Back Corner Booth Celeste Winters

    The Best Sales Bonus Beatrice E. Brown

    A Dish with Integrity Erin Kilby

    The Monday Good-News Lunch Club Mickey Bambrick

    More Time for Mom (to Be) Ellen Dietz

    The Gift of Understanding Susan Stava

    4. SPECIAL MOMENTS

    Little Amigo Deana Ward

    The Hammock Patricia Lorenz

    The Answer from Above Patty Hansen

    Respect and Pride Dianne C. Bradley

    A First Rachel Byrne

    Any Regrets? Lisa Russell Motley

    Performance Under the Stars Rayleen Downes

    5. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

    The Other Side of the Glass Ceiling Nancy Michel Bandy

    Standing Firm Virginia Boshears

    The Damn Cape Colleen Justus Eastman

    Running for Office, Running for Life Judith Newman

    I’ve Gotta Be Me Kristin S. Door

    The Red Bandana Jodi L. Severson

    6. A MOTHER’S WORK

    Letters from My Daughter Patricia Lorenz

    Pennies and Prayers Peggy L. Bert

    Night Shift Maggi White

    Embracing the Mommy Track Deborah Shouse

    I’d Masquerade as a Mom

    if I Could Sew the Costume Shirley Kawa-Jump

    Coming to Mom’s Rescue Clara Null

    The Scooby Doo Band-Aid Lisa Wood Curry

    7. MAKING A DIFFERENCE

    Precious Cargo Laurie Patterson

    The Odd-Shaped Vegetable Rosalind Turner

    What Do You Want to Do

    with the Rest of Your Life? Linda Blackman, C.S.P.

    One Hour a Week Gail Rosenblum

    To Return Tomorrow Susan Burkholder

    A Mother’s Choice Renée Day

    A Gift from the Woman in White Barbara Bartocci

    Old Deadeye Bean Roger Wilkins

    A New Perspective on Land Mines Nancy Harless

    A Cat, Six Kittens and a Wheelchair Arlene Alice Centerwall

    Princess of the City Eileen Valinoti

    United We Stand Jenna Skophammer

    Never Too Late Linda Apple

    8. LIVING YOUR DREAM

    Against All Odds Amy Ash Nixon

    The Power of Perseverance Denise Schupp

    From Under the Boot Heel Wendy Natkong

    Life—It’s All Good Patty Lataille

    Discovery Toys Doug Garr

    Tuning In Susan L. Gilbert

    Take Two Lemons and Make Lemonade Elaine L. Galit

    Not So Dumb Gail Buchalter

    No Spring Chicken Arlene Alice Centerwall

    A Long Hot Summer Carolee Ware

    First-Year Working Woman Joan Clayton

    A Memoir of a Friend Joan Curtis

    The Creation of a Caring Corporation Cynthia Kersey

    A License to Follow One’s Dream Debby Kate Stahl Ramsey

    Who Is Jack Canfield?

    Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

    Who Is Patty Aubery?

    Who Are Chrissy and Mark Donnelly?

    Contributors

    Permissions

    Introduction

    Because of working women like yourself, the world is a wonderful place. Every day presents a new opportunity to make a contribution that counts, whether it be at home or out in the workforce. Each labor of love is an occasion to celebrate life, with all its wonder, mystery and uncertainty. With time, even the rough spots in a working woman’s day have the power to become memories that later strengthen the spirit and uplift the soul.

    This book offers insight to such moments and memories. It contains stories that celebrate the commitment you and others like you demonstrate daily as you care for family, friends, coworkers and others. Within these pages you’ll find stories of faith and fortitude, truth and tenacity, persistence and passion. You’ll learn how women like yourself tackle the most difficult challenges with generosity and grace. The cycles of giving and receiving are revered, and time and time again we learn that often, the gift of giving is its own reward.

    Whether you are an executive or a mother (or maybe you are both), you know the skills, the mental energy and the physical stamina it takes to accomplish all that needs to be done in a day. Sometimes you wonder where it all comes from, but then the heart speaks and reminds you of what’s worthwhile. It is in rituals and routines that we find momentum and motivation, and that in turn leads us to new heights and inspiring innovations. Bit by bit, solid foundations for strong futures are built. These are the success stories that await you in Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul. Written by working women with enthusiasm and dedication to their chosen career paths, they offer comfort and hope to women everywhere.

    While reading through the hundreds of stories that were submitted for this book, we were amazed at the continual challenges working women face. But even more amazing are the creative solutions and the uplifting attitudes that pervade these pages. Despite demanding jobs, sometimes difficult people, and growing responsibilities, working women press on, conquering each day and making every moment count. In this way they better their own lives, and in the process, touch the lives of countless others in positive ways. It is our sincere hope that you, too, will be touched by these stories of support, encouragement and inspiration. May they bring you a smile, an idea, the recollection of a fond memory or two, and perhaps even newfound appreciation for who you are as well as amazement at all you do!

    Thank you for reading Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul.

    1

    ALL IN A

    DAY’S WORK

    Fall in love with what you are going to do for a living.

    To be able to get out of bed and do what you love to do for the rest of your day is beyond words.

    I’d rather be a failure in something that I love than be successful in something I hate.

    George Burns

    The Interview

    Dreams are powerful reflections of your actual growth potential.

    Denis Waitley and Reni L. Witt

    The job of a lifetime, that’s what it was, secretary for the district attorney. I couldn’t wait for my interview. This was the kind of position I’d dreamed of, what all those years of college and entry-level positions were for.

    The night before my interview, I spent two hours going through my closet to pick out just the right outfit. What would I say to him? I curled up into my pillowy bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. How should I act? Nervous, I shut my eyes and tried to get some rest, but I kept tossing and turning.

    Finally, the alarm clock woke me. I tried to open my eyes, but something was wrong. My face felt stiff, strange. My hands flew to my cheeks.

    No! My lips were unable to open all the way.

    I ran to the bathroom and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror, horrified. My face was contorted like a stroke victim’s. My eyes were misaligned. I couldn’t move the right side of my face. I could barely recognize myself. What was happening to me? What nightmare did I wake up into?

    My mother came into the room, What’s wrong? Her eyes bulged as she withdrew in terror.

    What’s happening to me? I slurred to her.

    I’ll take you to the emergency room, she finally gasped.

    We were rushed in. The nurse took one look at me and called in a specialist. There, under the blazing white lights, my mother and I waited.

    After several hours of tests, the doctor finally explained, You have Bell’s palsy. It is a condition in which your face muscles tighten because of stress. You need to get plenty of sleep, and in a few days your face will return to normal.

    But I have a job interview this afternoon, I sadly remembered.

    I’m sorry, the doctor said, concerned. You should reschedule, maybe for later in the week.

    During the long car ride home, all I could think about was how bad it would look to reschedule. Certainly, that would dampen my chances. Nobody reschedules with the district attorney. All the other applicants would have the advantage then, I concluded.

    I looked at my watch and made the decision, Mom, drop me off on Jacob Street. I’m going to the interview.

    Honey, I don’t think you should. You look . . . strange, she said, ever so gently.

    I knew she was right. He probably would take one look at me and judge me by my appearance rather than by my experience and talent. I probably shouldn’t go. But if I didn’t, I’d always wonder if I could have gotten my dream job.

    No, Mom, take me there.

    Reluctantly, she took me where I wanted to go. I walked right into the formidable office with the mahogany furniture and pillars of white marble, not letting my own self-consciousness or any disease stop me. Not now, not when I had worked so hard for so long to be given this opportunity.

    I went to the woman sitting behind the front desk and said, as well as I could, Nicole Jenkins to see Mr. Robertson.

    She stared at my face. He’s expecting you. Go right in.

    I entered the room to her right and saw a gray-haired man sitting behind the large desk reading a file.

    Suddenly my nerves got the best of me, and I had to sit. I took the chair in front of him.

    Hello, he said. Miss Jenkins?

    Yes. Please excuse me. I’m having a Bell’s palsy attack. My doctor explained to me that it would last a few days. I came right from the hospital.

    You’re very dedicated to come when you’re not feeling up to speed, he responded, after a pause.

    Yes, Sir.

    He spent a few minutes looking over my application. Is everything on here correct? He held it out to me.

    I glanced over the paper, Yes, but I failed to mention I type seventy-five words per minute.

    Wonderful, he smiled. Out of one hundred points, you had our highest score on the application test. You scored well above average on grammar and computer programs.

    It comes easily for me, I honestly replied.

    Well, you are certainly qualified. You have an impressive background with related experience. I see here you worked for the navy.

    Directly with legal affairs, I reiterated.

    When are you available?

    Two weeks.

    He gazed down at his desk calendar. The 27th then, be here at 9:00 A.M.

    I gasped. You’re hiring me!

    Yes, you’re perfect for the position.

    I stood. Thank you for believing in me. I won’t let you down.

    I know, he smiled, rising from his desk to shake my hand. Not only have you got the skills I’m looking for, you also have the character.

    Nicole Jenkins

    as told to Michele Screech Campanelli

    Ask and You Shall Receive

    You may have the loftiest goals, the highest ideals, the noblest dreams, but remember this, nothing works unless you do.

    Nido Qubein

    You never walk into a job interview expecting to meet your greatest advocate, lifelong mentor and cherished friend. In 1981, I was a year out of MBA school, living in New York, and looking for a job in Colorado. I heard about a company headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and managed to get an interview with two of their executives while they were in New York. Biff was in charge of the department in which I wanted to work. Tom was his boss. We met over lunch, and I did my best to impress them with my one year of experience. I don’t know what I said during that interview, but when Biff got back to Colorado, he wrote Tom a memo that said, I wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.

    Tom offered me a job anyway. I started as his executive assistant, and Tom immediately began training me in his way of doing things—skills that I continued to draw upon every day of my corporate life. He was especially strict about the one-page rule. Memos had to be no more than one page or he wouldn’t read them. The summary had to be in the first paragraph.

    It’s a memo, he said, not a mystery. I don’t want to wait until the end to find out how it turns out. It became a challenge to see how I could summarize an assignment in as few words as possible. The apex of our game came when I interviewed each of Tom’s direct reports on a point of contention between them. Tom wanted to know why they couldn’t agree on how to handle a new service. My memo read as follows: Gary wants a piece of the pie. Bill wants a bigger piece of the pie. Roger wants the whole pie and permanent possession of the pan. Tom didn’t say anything about the memo to me, but years later he would sound like a proud father reciting my memo from memory and laughing more with each telling.

    After a three-month probationary period, I was eligible for my first salary and performance review. Tom took me to lunch at a local restaurant and asked me to review myself. I wasn’t prepared for that and was disappointed not to get some real feedback on my performance. I did my best to recall projects I had completed, plans for additional training and goals for the future. Tom then asked what I thought my raise should be. I was thoroughly prepared for that question and immediately gave him an answer. He cleared his throat and nodded thoughtfully.

    What percentage is that? he asked. I told him in complete confidence that the number was indeed a reasonable figure. If your salary increased by that percent every year for ten years, how much would you be earning? I took out my calculator and Tom waited while my fingers tap-danced across the keys. The total came to horrifying digital life, and I smiled, asked for his patience, and did the calculations again. I’m certain Tom knew exactly what the number would be, and that it would fall somewhere in the low eight figures.

    I couldn’t read the number out loud. It would be kind of high, I said, but I did take a pay cut to come here, and I think it would still be fair. We finished lunch and returned to the office without another word on the subject. I was certain I’d blown it. A few minutes later, Tom’s secretary, MaryJane, came into my office and laid a memo on top of my desk. It was from Tom, typed by MaryJane and impressively short. The title was longer than the memo: Monetary Considerations: Luncheon Discussion Thursday, September 3rd. I can only imagine the fun he had dictating that into his recorder. The body of the memo was exactly seven words, an achievement in brevity I have never surpassed. It said, Ask and you shall receive. Cordially, Tom.

    As Tom’s assistant, I was privy to some of the salary negotiations he conducted. I learned that you don’t always get as much as you ask, but you’ll never get more. At my three-month review luncheon in 1981, I told Tom my goal was to be vice president, in charge of strategic planning and marketing. Seven years later, I was.

    Jane Imber

    9780757399923_0030_001

    When I complimented you on your work, Ms. Miller, I didn’t expect you to spoil it all by coming in here and asking for a raise!

    Reprinted by permission of Bob Zahn.

    Love and War

    People always want to know who won.

    When I tell them my husband and I met when we were opposing attorneys on a case, that’s always their first question.

    Who won?

    You decide, I say. Then I tell them the rest.

    I was an aggressive young associate, newly hired by my law firm and anxious to prove myself. John was a seasoned pro who worked for another law firm in the same building. When I found out he was opposing counsel, I was nervous. I’d seen his name on countless appellate decisions and knew he was far more adept at this type of case than I was. I decided that what I lacked in skill and experience, I would make up for with hard work and bravado.

    I devised a campaign of daily badgering: discovery requests, legal motions, correspondence, phone calls. If I wasn’t satisfied with how quickly he responded, I walked down the hall and pestered him in person. I was relentless—a terrier yipping at his heels. My client and my boss loved it.

    But somewhere along the way I started to like him. Maybe it was the way he overlooked my obvious lack of sophistication and treated me like a serious adversary. Maybe it was our verbal sparring that often left me walking away with a stupid grin, as though we’d been flirting instead of arguing. Whatever the reason, after a few months on the case, I decided my adversary was a decent guy. If we’d met under difference circumstances, I might want to see where the flirting could go. But since we were opposing counsel, ethics prevented us from becoming personally involved. Romance was out of the question.

    One Friday afternoon John left his office without giving me a set of documents I needed to review over the weekend. I tracked him down at home and demanded he turn over the materials to me that day.

    All right, he said, I’ll have them at my house tonight. Skeptical, but not wanting to back down, I said, Fine. I’ll be there at 7:00.

    That night changed everything.

    Some people claim an instant familiarity with a place or a stranger, convinced they must have been there or known each other before. Walking into John’s house, what I felt was not déjà vu, but more a sense of how things could be. I felt instantly at home, as I never have any place before or since.

    The house was small, with wood floors and walls decorated with a strange combination of quilts and antlers. The furniture looked lived-in without being shabby. The place was modest, warm and comfortable—not at all like some of the palatial showcases I’d seen other lawyers strut through.

    Seeing him in that environment, I felt more comfortable around John, too. Even though it was his house, it felt like neutral ground. I didn’t have to act so tough anymore. I sank onto his couch and felt myself relax.

    So what’s your story? I asked, and he gave me a brief sketch of his life.

    My answer to the same question was much briefer: Work. That’s all I do.

    I used to be like you, John said. Trust me—it can’t last. You need other things. He told me he was happiest when he was backpacking or sailing, running the power tools in his workshop, or simply puttering in his vegetable garden on the weekends. What a curious idea. I had always thought weekends were for more work.

    I wished I were there under other circumstances. I wanted to talk longer. I wanted to know him better. But eventually duty called. I stood and held out my hand for the papers.

    I don’t have them yet. Let’s take a ride.

    He drove me in his nine-year-old Honda station wagon (more bonus points—a modest car) to a house a few miles away.

    Come on, John coaxed. I followed him to the door.

    John’s client answered. It’s hard to say who was more shocked, the client or me.

    You know Elizabeth, John said. His client raised an eyebrow, but politely shook my hand. Then he handed John the papers I’d wanted. John handed them to me.

    Years later John confessed that what he’d really wanted to say when his client opened the door was, Look! I have captured their queen!

    And it was true, he had.

    My way had always been to rush into a relationship then see it flame out a month or so later. That couldn’t happen this time. Being on opposite sides of a case forced me to get to know him slowly. I had the chance to see his character in action—his integrity, loyalty, honesty. By the time our romance began, I was already sold.

    We had two choices: Wait until the case was over to pursue a relationship, or plunge ahead. If we weren’t going to wait, one of us would have to withdraw from the case.

    The next day I told my boss. He promptly fired me.

    John’s client still swears he paid John to date me, just to get me off the case. He says they both knew I was trouble.

    Another lawyer took over for me and eventually the case settled. By then John and I had already been married three years. Good thing we didn’t wait.

    John and I have been married ten years now. We still live in the house where I felt so at home that night. There are still quilts and antlers on the wall, and we’ve only just now replaced the couch where I sat one Friday evening and wished I could know this man better. I still badger my husband at times, and he digs in his heels when I’m wrong. Ours is a marriage of negotiations and compromise, of flirting when we seem to be arguing. A worthy opponent, it turns out, makes a wonderful spouse.

    So who won?

    No doubt about it: I did.

    Elizabeth Rand

    9780757399923_0035_001

    "It was a purely professional decision,

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